Chapter 90 – Suspicious And Chase
A Few Hours Earlier...
Morning in the mansion had been unusually crowded.
For the first time since arriving in Bangalore, Section E was seeing everyone together under one roof.
And one person in particular.
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Cole.
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The mysterious man everyone kept hearing about.
The owner of the mansion.
The friend of Care, Lyra, Rhys, Alex...
And somehow one of the people who helped save JJ's life.
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Nobody knew much about him.
Not even his full name.
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Which was strange.
Very strange.
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Because people usually knew everything about powerful people.
Especially Keifer.
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Yet every search ended at the same place.
Nothing.
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No surname.
No family.
No background.
No public history.
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Almost as if someone had erased him from existence.
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Breakfast had just finished when footsteps came down the stairs.
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Cole.
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Black shirt.
Dark trousers.
Coffee in hand.
Half asleep.
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And immediately—
he stopped.
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Because the dining room looked like a refugee camp.
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People everywhere.
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Aries.
Percy.
Felix.
David.
Yuri.
Rory.
Eman.
Calix.
Edrix.
Cin.
Ella.
Honey.
Freya.
Mica.
Rakhi.
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Every chair occupied.
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Cole blinked once.
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"...why are there more people every time I come home?"
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Silence.
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Then Percy answered.
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"Population growth."
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Rhys nearly choked on his coffee.
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Cole stared at Percy.
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"...you're the loud one."
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"That's racist."
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"What?"
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"I don't know but it felt offensive."
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Honey smacked him.
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Meanwhile—
Keifer was studying Cole carefully.
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Because something felt off.
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Not dangerous.
Not exactly.
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Just...
hidden.
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Like the man deliberately avoided attention.
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Cole noticed immediately.
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Their eyes met.
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Neither looked away.
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A silent standoff.
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CEO versus CEO.
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Finally Alex sighed.
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"You two are doing that thing again."
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"What thing?" Percy asked.
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"The rich people stare."
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"That's a thing?"
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"It is now."
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Introduction
Eventually Care stood up.
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"Oh right."
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She pointed toward Cole.
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"For the people who haven't met him."
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"This is Cole."
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Silence.
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Everyone waited.
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Care waited.
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Percy waited.
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Cole waited.
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Finally Yuri asked:
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"...and?"
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Care blinked.
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"...and what?"
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"His surname."
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"No idea."
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The entire table froze.
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"What do you mean no idea?" Aries asked.
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Care shrugged.
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"I've known him for years."
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"Still don't know."
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"Never asked."
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The room exploded.
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"YOU NEVER ASKED?"
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"NO."
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Lyra didn't even look up from her book.
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"It stopped being weird after six months."
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"HOW?"
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"No one knows."
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Even Alex laughed.
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Which somehow made it worse.
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Because Alex also didn't answer.
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Keifer narrowed his eyes slightly.
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"You don't tell people your surname?"
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Cole took a sip of coffee.
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"I do."
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Everyone leaned forward.
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"Then what is it?"
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Cole looked at them.
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And smiled.
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"Good question."
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The entire room collectively lost patience.
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Later...
The laughter eventually faded.
The conversations continued.
Life moved normally.
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But Keifer kept noticing something.
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Whenever JJ entered a room—
Cole checked if she looked tired.
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Whenever she forgot breakfast—
Cole noticed.
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Whenever she got dizzy—
Cole was already calling Care.
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Not like a doctor.
Not like a friend.
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Like someone carrying responsibility.
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And that made Keifer suspicious.
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Not because he distrusted him.
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But because people don't protect others that carefully without a reason.
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And before he could think more about it—
everything changed.
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Because only a few hours later...
JJ opened her bedroom door.
Looked terrified.
And ran.
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"JJ!"
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The entire mansion froze.
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Nobody understood what was happening.
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Until they heard a car engine roar to life outside.
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And suddenly—
every single person in the mansion was running.
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The moment JJ ran out—
the mansion didn't react.
It erupted.
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"JJ—!"
Keifer was the first out the door.
Barefoot on marble.
Already moving.
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Aries followed instantly.
Percy right behind him.
Yuri grabbed keys mid-step.
Felix was already calling someone.
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Care didn't even bother locking her file.
She just ran.
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Alex's voice cut through sharply—
"Which car did she take?!"
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Cole, already outside, answered immediately.
"…mine."
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That made everything worse.
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Because Cole's car wasn't just a car.
It was fast.
Built for distance.
Built for control.
Not panic driving.
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Not JJ.
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The Convoy Forms
Within minutes—
it became organized chaos.
Three vehicles.
No plan spoken.
Just instinct.
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Car 1 – Keifer driving
Aries in passenger seat
Percy behind
Car 2 – Alex driving
Yuri and Felix
Car 3 – Care driving
Rhys beside her, already on call.
Lyra in backseat.
Cole didn't get into any car.
He ran straight to communications.
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"Track her route," Cole said sharply into his phone.
No panic in his voice.
But urgency underneath everything.
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"She's heading east—fast."
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Keifer's grip tightened on the steering wheel.
Jaw locked.
Eyes fixed ahead.
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"She's not stopping," Percy muttered from the back.
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"I know," Keifer replied.
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His voice was calm.
Too calm.
The kind that meant everything inside him was already breaking.
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On the Road
The city blurred past.
Streetlights streaking.
Horns faint.
Traffic parting unevenly as three cars pushed forward.
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Aries leaned forward.
"She's not thinking."
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Alex's voice came through the comms.
"She's overloaded. Neurological spike maybe."
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Care cut in immediately.
"No. Not just that."
Pause.
"She's remembering."
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Silence inside every car.
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Yuri whispered:
"…now?"
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Rhys answered flatly:
"If her memory returned abruptly, her brain could destabilize her perception-response system."
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Percy swore under his breath.
"English, please."
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"She's overwhelmed," Cin said quietly.
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Keifer didn't respond.
He just pressed harder on the accelerator.
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A blinking dot on the GPS.
Moving erratically.
Too fast.
Then slightly unstable.
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Cole's voice over comms:
"She's losing consistency."
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Care immediately:
"Speed fluctuations?"
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"Yes."
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Alex's tone sharpened.
"She's not fully in control anymore."
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Keifer's jaw tightened.
"…JJ."
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The Moment It Happens
Then—
silence in the comms.
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Because the dot on the screen—
shifted violently.
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Alex froze.
"…what was that?"
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Yuri leaned closer.
"No…"
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Care's breath caught.
"She swerved."
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The line on the map trembled.
Then drifted off-road slightly.
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Percy's voice dropped.
"She's crashing."
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The Impact
They didn't see it directly.
But they felt it.
Through silence.
Through timing.
Through the sudden disappearance of motion consistency.
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The GPS line jerked—
sharp.
Final.
Wrong.
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Then stopped moving.
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No signal.
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Just static.
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For half a second—
no one spoke.
No one breathed.
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Then Percy whispered:
"…no."
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Aries went pale.
Alex already changed direction.
"Closest route. Now."
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Care's voice broke slightly for the first time:
"Keifer—"
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But Keifer was already gone from the call.
Radio silence.
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Because he had already slammed the brakes at an intersection.
Already turned.
Already cut traffic without thinking.
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And in his mind—
there was only one thought repeating.
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Not again.
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Crash Site Arrival
They reached within minutes.
But it felt like hours.
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Traffic was frozen ahead.
People stepping back.
Emergency sirens already faint in the distance.
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Smoke rising slightly.
Metal twisted.
Glass scattered.
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And at the center—
Cole's car.
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Keifer jumped out first.
Didn't wait.
Didn't think.
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"JJ!"
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Aries followed instantly.
Percy right behind.
Alex already calling emergency services.
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Care froze for half a second when she saw it.
Then ran.
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Silence After Chaos
The car was crushed at the front.
Airbag deployed.
Lights flickering weakly.
Steam rising.
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No movement inside.
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Percy's voice cracked:
"…JJ?"
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Keifer reached the door.
Pulled it open with force.
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And everything inside him stopped.
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Because JJ was there.
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Unmoving.
Head tilted slightly.
Breathing shallow.
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But alive.
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For one second—
relief almost broke him.
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Then panic returned instantly.
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"JJ—stay with me," Keifer said sharply.
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Care pushed through the crowd.
"Don't move her yet!"
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Rhys already checking from outside.
"She's unstable. We need immobilization."
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Alex scanned quickly.
"No major external bleeding."
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Percy exhaled sharply.
"She's alive…"
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Aries didn't blink.
Just stared.
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Because Keifer wasn't listening anymore.
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He had already taken her hand.
Carefully.
Like if he let go—
she might disappear again.
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And JJ—
for the first time since everything began—
didn't run.
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The sirens arrived like a second heartbeat.
Too loud. Too late. Too necessary.
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The crash site turned into controlled chaos within minutes.
Paramedics. Stretchers. Police. Crowd control.
But none of that mattered anymore.
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Because JJ was already being moved.
Carefully.
Urgently.
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Keifer didn't let go until the last possible second.
Even when they told him to.
Even when Rhys physically had to step in.
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"She's not leaving your sight," Rhys muttered.
Keifer didn't answer.
Just stepped back.
Eyes still locked on her.
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And then—
they ran.
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Trinity Hospital – Emergency Wing
Doors burst open.
Everything shifted into protocol instantly.
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"Critical trauma incoming!"
"Prepare OR-2!"
"Vitals unstable!"
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Care moved first.
Already in full doctor mode.
No emotion visible now.
Only precision.
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Lyra followed immediately.
Scanning JJ's neurological response mid-movement.
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Rhys came last.
Already adjusting gloves.
Already calculating.
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Three specialties.
One patient.
No room for hesitation.
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Diagnosis in Motion
Care's voice was sharp.
"Possible internal trauma. Head impact confirmed."
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Lyra responded instantly.
"Neurological overload is active. Memory reactivation spike likely triggered."
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Rhys added calmly:
"Anesthesia protocol must be extremely controlled. Any overdose risk can worsen brain instability."
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Care nodded.
"Then we don't force sedation fully."
Pause.
"We stabilize, not suppress."
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That line changed everything.
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Because this wasn't just surgery.
It was balancing a fractured mind.
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OR – The Fight for Stability
JJ lay under bright surgical lights.
Still.
Too still.
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Monitors beeped unevenly.
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Care positioned first.
Hands steady.
Focus absolute.
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Lyra checked EEG patterns.
"…her brain activity is spiking in memory-related regions."
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Rhys adjusted equipment.
"If she regains consciousness mid-procedure, she may go into shock response."
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Care's voice cut through:
"Then we keep her anchored."
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Silence.
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Then Lyra spoke softly:
"Emotionally or chemically?"
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Care didn't hesitate.
"Both."
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Outside the OR
Keifer stood outside the glass doors.
Not moving.
Not blinking much.
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Aries beside him.
Percy not joking for once.
Cole on calls.
Alex silent.
Yuri pacing.
Felix leaning against the wall.
Cin crying silently.
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No one spoke properly.
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Because everyone knew—
this wasn't just a car crash anymore.
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This was JJ's mind collapsing under the weight of returning memories.
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Percy whispered:
"…she came back too fast."
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Aries nodded slowly.
"Her brain wasn't ready."
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Alex exhaled sharply.
"She triggered everything at once."
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Keifer finally spoke.
Quiet.
Broken at the edges.
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"…don't lose her."
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No one replied.
Because no one needed to.
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Inside – The Critical Moment
Care's hands moved carefully.
Precise.
Controlled.
---
Lyra monitored continuously.
"Vitals unstable but holding."
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Rhys adjusted anesthesia micro-dosing.
"She's resisting sedation response."
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Care frowned slightly.
"That's her survival instinct."
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Silence.
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Then Lyra said softly:
"…she's fighting to stay conscious."
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Rhys looked up slightly.
"Why?"
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Care answered quietly without looking away:
"Because her brain thinks forgetting kept her alive once."
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That hit the room harder than anything else.
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Outside – Breaking Point
Keifer pressed his hand lightly against the glass.
Forehead almost touching it.
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For once—
he looked completely human.
Not CEO.
Not Watson.
Not cold.
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Just someone afraid of losing her again.
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Aries noticed.
But said nothing.
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Percy stopped pacing.
For once.
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Yuri whispered:
"…she'll make it, right?"
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No answer.
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Only the sound of machines inside.
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The Stabilization
Inside OR—
Care exhaled slightly.
"…she's stabilizing."
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Rhys checked again.
"Vitals improving."
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Lyra nodded.
"Neurological spikes reducing."
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Care's hands didn't stop.
"But she's not waking up fully yet."
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Pause.
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"Good."
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Because waking up too soon would mean chaos.
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Outside—
Keifer finally lowered his hand from the glass.
Slowly.
Like strength had drained out of him.
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Aries stepped closer.
"She's alive."
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Keifer didn't respond immediately.
Then finally—
quietly:
"…for now."
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Inside—
machines kept beeping steadily.
Doctors kept working.
And somewhere between memory and silence—
JJ was still fighting to stay in the world she was finally starting to remember.